The present invention relates to a quick disintegrating tablet in buccal cavity and production process thereof.
As for the pharmaceutical dosage forms for oral use, a tablet, a capsule, a granule, a powder and the like are mentioned. However, these dosage forms will have some issues if a patient takes them. For instance, regarding a tablet or a capsule, if the patient is a person of advanced age or a child, there are some cases that they dislike to take the pharmaceutical preparation because it is difficult for them to swallow it or the preparation will stick in the throat or the esophagus of them. In addition, regarding a granule or a powder, in some cases they dislike to take the preparation under the reason that it is difficult for them to swallow it with its remaining in buccal cavity or the reason that they will choke when taking the dosage. Since a compliance to take the pharmaceutical preparation is caused to fall in these cases, it is desired to take easily the pharmaceutical dosage forms, and as a result a disintegrating preparation in buccal cavity has been studied and developed.
For instance, xe2x80x9cZydis(copyright)xe2x80x9d has been developed up to the product by R. P. Schere Corp. However, since this preparation is produced by means of lyophilization method, a special manufacturing equipment such as a lyophilization machine is needed. Additionally, this preparation cannot be taken over from the pocket of PTP, xe2x80x9cPress Through Packagexe2x80x9d, under the reason that the tablet strength is small. Furthermore, it is so difficult for the aged to take out the preparation from package that it is not satisfied with the aged.
Several quick disintegrating tablets in buccal cavity, which is manufactured by means not of lyophilization method but of tableting method, have been reported. For instance, JP 6-218028-A (Corresponding to EP 590,963) discloses a quick disintegrating tablet in buccal cavity which is manufactured by compressing the moisturized powder being mixed with a drug, an excipient, a binder agent and the like using water or the like, afterwards by drying the compression molding. However, it is necessary to have a special tableting machine spraying a fluidizer on the surface of a tablet before compression for the avoidance of the issues at the compression molding. JP 5-271054-A (corresponding to EP 553,777) discloses a quick disintegrating tablet in buccal cavity which is manufactured by compressing the mixture comprising a drug, a sugar and water which is added so much as to moisture said sugar at low compression pressure, and by drying said tablet. WO93/15724 (corresponding to EP 627,218) also discloses a quick disintegrating tablet, which is manufactured by compression with humidification and drying. However, there are some issues in these methods, for instance, a sticking at compressing with moisture.
In addition, WO95/20380 (corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 5,576,014) discloses a quick disintegrating tablet in buccal cavity in which the invention has been made by one of the present inventors. This tablet is manufactured by means that a small moldability sugar is granulated by a high moldability sugar and afterwards that these granules are compressed by an ordinal tableting machine. It is thought that there is little trouble in practice by this production method, however, it is necessary to utilize at least two kinds of sugars, if there is a case that there is a restriction to a kind of sugar added, for the counter action between a drug and said sugar (for example, degradation of drug). Therefore, a new quick disintegrating tablet in buccal cavity and production process thereof are desired even at this present, for instance, this tablet is manufactured and to obtain by using one kind of sugars.
Furthermore, regarding a quick disintegrating tablet in buccal cavity, a patent application or an article discloses the following production process proposed.
For instance, JP 9-48726-A discloses the method which a composition of the mixture consisting of a drug, a sugar and/or hydrophilic polymer is taken into a molding, and the mixture is compressed at low compression pressure, and the molding is under humidification and drying. However, this method is to improve the strength of tablet surface in particular by moisture of water-soluble polymer, it is possible to introduce the adhesion between tablets.
A method that a mixture consisting of an amorphous sucrose which is obtained by lyophilization method utilizing a sucrose solution, a drug and mannitol is molded into a tablet by a rotally tableting machine, and the obtained tablet is preserved under the controlled circumstance (at 25xc2x0 C., 34% RH) is proposed (abstract of the 13th Japan pharmacological pharmacy, p.113, published Mar. 5, 1998). However, a sugar is an amorphous sugar that is manufactured in further detail by lyophilization method, but sugars outsides sucrose is not described in the article.
An object of the present invention is to provide a quick disintegrating tablet in buccal cavity and production thereof in which tablets are manufactured with the normal granulator and tablet machine, with tablet strength being heightened to make a more stable formulation.
The present inventors examined the physiological characterization of sugar in a result to find that a kind of sugars can be changed to an amorphous state when the sugar solution is spray-dried, or the sugar solution is used in granulation as a binding agent. The present inventors further investigated to find that when an amorphous sugar was treated under humidification and drying, the tablet strength was increased by changing the amorphous sugar to a crystal state and that a disintegrating preparation in buccal cavity with the desired tablet strength was obtained and have completed the present invention.
That is, the present invention relates to a quick disintegrating tablet in the buccal cavity, comprising: a drug, a sugar (A), and an amorphous sugar (B), in which, after forming the tablet, it is humidified and dried. In more detail, the present invention relates to a quick disintegrating tablet in the buccal cavity, comprising: a mixture, comprising: a drug, a sugar (A), and an amorphous sugar (B) which is obtained by dissolving a crystalline sugar capable of becoming amorphous in a medicinally permitted solvent and then removing the solvent from the solution and drying, in which after forming the tablet, it is humidified and then dried. Furthermore, the present invention relates to a quick disintegrating tablet in the buccal cavity, comprising: a mixture, comprising: a drug, a sugar (A), and an amorphous sugar (B) which is obtained by dissolving a crystalline sugar capable of becoming amorphous in a medicinally permitted solvent, and the solution is then sprayed and dried, and after forming the tablets, it is humidified and then dried. In particular, the present invention relates to a quick disintegrating tablet in buccal cavity, comprising: a crystalline sugar capable of becoming amorphous is dissolved in a medicinally permitted solvent; the solution is sprayed on a drug and/or a sugar (A) to coat and/or granulate; and after forming a tablet, it is humidified and dried.
For the drug to be used in the present invention, there are no particular limitations as long as it is a substance which is used as a pharmaceutical active ingredient. Examples of pharmaceutical active ingredients include: sedative hypnotics, sleep inducers, anti-anxiety drugs, anti-epileptics, anti-depressants, anti-Parkinson drugs, psychoneural drugs, drugs acting on the central nervous system, local anesthetics, skeletal muscle relaxants, autonomic nervous system drugs, anti-fever analgesics anti-inflammatory drugs, anti-convulsants, anti-vertigenous drugs, cardiac drugs, drugs for arrhythmia, diuretics, blood pressure lowering drugs, vasoconstrictors, vasodilators, drugs for circulatory organs, hyperlipidemia drugs, respiratory stimulant, anti-tussive, expectorants, anti-tussive expectorants, bronchodilators, stegnotic, peptic ulcer drugs, stomach digestive drugs, antacids, laxatives, choleretics; drugs for the digestive tract, adrenal hormone drugs, hormone drugs, urinary tract drugs, vitamins, hemostatic drugs, liver drugs, gout treatment drugs, drugs for diabetes, anti-histamines, antibiotics, antibacterial agents, anti-malignant tumor drugs, chemotherapy drugs, multi-purpose cold medicines, tonic medicines, osteoporosis drugs, and the like. There are no particular limitations on the amount of these drugs to be mixed as long as it is the usual effective treatment amount. It should be around 50 weight/weight % or below of the entire tablet, and is preferably 20 weight/weight % or below.
In case that the present invention is applied to a drug having unpleasant taste, the drug is preferred to be treated in a preferably taste masking method (for instance, WO92/09275).
In case of that the present invention is performed for a drug desired to be sustained, the drug is preferred to be treated in a preferably sustained-release method (for instance, CA2038400-0), to obtain a particle which is controlled a drug release in a known manner in itself.
Furthermore, the preparation of the present invention can be also applied to a drug which is needed to be absorbed through a membrane of buccal cavity, since the preparation of the present invention is taken by a patient with disintegrating and dissolving in buccal cavity.
There are no particular limitations on sugar (A) which is to be used in the present invention as long as it is one which is normally medicinally permitted. Sugar (A) is preferably a sugar or sugar-alcohol which dissolves in the mouth. Examples include lactose, glucose, trehalose, mannitol, erythritol, and the like. Sugar (A) can be one type or two or more types combined. Furthermore, since sugar (A) functions as an excipient which dissolves inside the buccal cavity, the amount of sugar (A) to be added to the quick disintegrating tablet of the present invention is not particularly limited as long as it is an effective amount in order to achieve this function in the quick disintegrating tablet. The amount of sugar (A) to be added is dependent on the amount of drug and can be adjusted appropriately. In other words, when the amount of drug is small, the amount of sugar (A) to be added becomes large, and if the amount of drug is large, the amount of sugar (A) to be added becomes small. The amount of sugar (A) to be added is also dependent on the size of the tablet. The amount of sugar (A) can be adjusted as a ratio with the other excipients.
The xe2x80x9camorphous sugar (B)xe2x80x9d of the present invention signifies a sugar which is medicinally usually permitted and which is amorphous or which is capable of becoming amorphous. For example, an amorphous sugar (B) can be obtained by dissolving a crystalline sugar capable of becoming amorphous in a medicinally permitted solvent such as water and alcohol and the like, and then obtained by removing the solvent from this solution, and drying. There are no particular limitations for the method of removing the solvent as long as it is a method normally implemented in the pharmaceutical manufacturing process. For example, these methods include spray drying method, freeze-drying method, or various granulating methods such as fluidized-bed granulating method, vertical granulating method, tumbling granulating method. From a production standpoint, spray drying method or the various granulating methods are preferred. Among the various granulating methods, a method is preferred wherein: a crystalline sugar capable of becoming amorphous in a medicinally permitted solvent such as water, alcohol, and the like; this is used as a binding agent; this becomes amorphous when it is sprayed by a twin fluid nozzle and coats and/or granulates the drug and/or the sugar. Here, a crystalline sugar capable of becoming amorphous can be dissolved in a medicinally permitted solvent. This solution can be sprayed against the drug and/or the sugar (A), and they can be coated and granulated with an amorphous sugar (B). Examples of amorphous sugars (B) include glucose, lactose, maltose, sorbitol, trehalose, lactitol, fructose, and the like. This amorphous sugar (B) can be of one type or be a combination of two or more types. In the present invention, xe2x80x9camorphous sugarxe2x80x9d signifies a sugar which is materially amorphous or which is capable of becoming amorphous. In the process of becoming amorphous, the present invention also includes states where a portion is not amorphous. The amount of amorphous sugar (B) to be added is 2-20 weight/weight % with respect to the previous sugar (A), or 2-20 weight/weight % of the entire tablet.
As for the advantage for utilizing an amorphous sugar in the present invention, it is easy to increase tablet strength by steps of humidification and drying. Since an amorphous sugar has a low critical moisture, the tablet can be treated at the low moisture level such that an amorphous sugar can adsorb. In addition, the moisture absorbed in a humidification process dissolve a part of surface of sugar particles around, afterwards in a drying process, the tablet strength can increase because of the re-attachment of between sugar particles. On the other hand, to the contrally to the present invention, it is easily to be predicted that the production process has some difficulties, for instance, in case that the sugar consists of sugars in a crystalline state, since the sufficient moisture adsorption will not happen at a low humidification condition, the tablet strength will not increase, in case at a high humidification condition, the adhesion of between tablets will happen and it is easily predictable for actual manufacturing to have difficulty.
As for the other advantage for utilizing amorphous sugar in the present invention, since a sugar in amorphous state is changed to a crystalline state in a humidification and drying process unreversibly, a dried tablet has a high critical moisture point. As a result, said tablet can maintain a tablet strength against the moisture in the stored condition. Furthermore, since one kind of sugar consisting of crystalline state and amorphous state can manufacture a quick disintegrating tablet in buccal cavity to avoid a restriction for choosing a sugar which do not happen the changes against a drug.
In the present invention, xe2x80x9cformingxe2x80x9d signifies forming into a tablet or the like with a pressure equal to or greater than the pressure required to maintain the desired shape. In the forming process, a normal tablet machines can be used. Examples include a single tablet machine or rotary tablet machine.
In the present invention, xe2x80x9chumidifyingxe2x80x9d, when implemented in combination with the next step of drying, is for increasing the tablet strength, the humidifying conditions being determined by the apparent critical relative humidity of the mixture of a drug, a sugar (A), an amorphous sugar (B), and signifies increasing the humidity to greater than or equal to the critical relative humidity of this mixture. For example, the humidity is 30-100 RH %, and is preferably 50-90 RH %. At this time, temperature is 15-50xc2x0 C., and preferably 20-40xc2x0 C. The point of the humidifying process of the present invention is to convert sugar in the amorphous state to a crystalline state, to heighten the tablet strength, and to make the tablet more stable.
In the present invention, xe2x80x9cdryingxe2x80x9d is implemented in order to remove the water absorbed by the humidifying the amorphous sugar. There are no particular limitations for the drying conditions as long as they are the usual conditions for removing water content. For example, it should be 10-100xc2x0 C. and is preferably 20-60xc2x0 C.
The quick disintegrating tablet in buccal cavity can contain various medicinally permitted excipients such as disintegrating agents, stabilization agents, binding agents, diluting agents, lubricating agents, and the like.
The production method of the quick disintegrating tablet in buccal cavity is described below.
For the production method of the present invention, a drug, a sugar (A), and an amorphous sugar (B) are mixed, and after forming the mixture into a tablet, it is humidified and dried. In more detail, in the production method of the present invention, a mixture of the following is formed: a drug, a sugar (A), and an amorphous sugar (B) which is obtainable by dissolving a crystalline sugar capable of becoming amorphous in a medicinally permitted solvent and removing the solvent from the solution and drying, and the tablet is humidified and dried. Furthermore, in the production method of the present invention, a mixture of the following is formed into a tablet: a drug, a sugar (A), and an amorphous sugar (B) which is obtainable by dissolving a crystalline sugar capable of becoming amorphous in a medicinally permitted solvent and spraying and drying the solution, and the tablet is humidified and dried. In particular, in the production method of the present invention, after dissolving a crystalline sugar capable of becoming amorphous in a medicinally permitted solvent and by using a binding agent, the solution is sprayed with a twin fluid nozzle or the like against a drug and/or sugar (A), and after forming a coated product and/or granulated product by coating and/or granulating with an amorphous sugar (B), and after forming a tablet, it is humidified and dried.
Here, the definitions and the preferred embodiments of the xe2x80x9cdrugxe2x80x9d, xe2x80x9csugar (A), and xe2x80x9camorphous sugar (B)xe2x80x9d, as well as the processing steps for the production of quick disintegrating tablet in buccal cavity including xe2x80x9cforming xe2x80x9d, xe2x80x9chumidifyingxe2x80x9d, and xe2x80x9cdryingxe2x80x9d are described previously.
Furthermore, as a method for removing the solvent in the present invention, there are no particular limitations as long as it is a method implemented in the normal manufacturing process. For this method, examples include spray drying method, freeze-drying method, or various granulating methods such as fluidized-bed granulating method, vertical granulating method, tumbling granulating method, or the like. From the standpoint of production, the spray drying method or the various granulating methods are preferred. Among these, in the various granulating methods, a method is preferred, wherein: a crystalline sugar capable of becoming amorphous and which is dissolved in a medicinally permitted solvent such as water or alcohol is used as a binding agent, and it becomes amorphous when spraying and coating or granulating with a twin fluid nozzle or the like against drug and/or sugar (A). Here, crystalline sugar which is capable of becoming amorphous can be dissolved in a medicinally permitted silvent, and the solution can be sprayed, and the drug and/or sugar (A) can be coated and granulated with amorphous sugar (B).
In the production method of the present invention, various medicinally permitted excipients such as disintegrating agents, stabilizing agents, binding agents, diluents, lubricants, or the like can be added to any of the production steps.